Catfish

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venture

Smoking Guru
Original poster
OTBS Member
Aug 1, 2008
6,948
73
Central California
I don't spend much time in this part of the forum, but I do check the new posts regularly.

I am not from the south, but I do like some preparations of catfish, and I like the price sometimes.

I will post below some info about imported catfish, mostly farm raised in foreign countries.  From what I know, the catfish growers' lobby has been successful in getting the government to forbid the name of "catfish" to be used on imported "catfish".  Money talks.

There is one of many marketing ploys at the counter that really rankles me, though.  We have stores in my area labeling imported catfish as "White Roughy".  They are obviously currying favor from the positive image of "Orange Roughy" which is a totally different fish.  The White Roughy is nothing but Swai or Basa, which are nothing but imported catfish which the importers are not allowed to call catfish.  I have seen Basa marketed as Cod which is even more dishonest.  Let the buyer beware! (Caveat Emptor)

From Wikipedia for whatever you think that is worth:

Vietnamese catfish cannot be legally marketed as catfish in the US, and is subsequently referred to as swai or basa [sup][23][/sup]

If this information has been posted before I apologize.

Good luck and good smoking!
 
Great post, luckily in Nevada the stores are required to say where and what. Most say farmed raised Chile or China neither of which I would eat if starving to death, if it doesn't say wild caught I don't buy it. As far as catfish I harvest them locally. 
 
I don't spend much time in this part of the forum, but I do check the new posts regularly.

I am not from the south, but I do like some preparations of catfish, and I like the price sometimes.

I will post below some info about imported catfish, mostly farm raised in foreign countries.  From what I know, the catfish growers' lobby has been successful in getting the government to forbid the name of "catfish" to be used on imported "catfish".  Money talks.

There is one of many marketing ploys at the counter that really rankles me, though.  We have stores in my area labeling imported catfish as "White Roughy".  They are obviously currying favor from the positive image of "Orange Roughy" which is a totally different fish.  The White Roughy is nothing but Swai or Basa, which are nothing but imported catfish which the importers are not allowed to call catfish.  I have seen Basa marketed as Cod which is even more dishonest.  Let the buyer beware! (Caveat Emptor)

From Wikipedia for whatever you think that is worth:

Vietnamese catfish cannot be legally marketed as catfish in the US, and is subsequently referred to as swai or basa [sup][23][/sup]

If this information has been posted before I apologize.

Good luck and good smoking!
If you have ever tasted swai or basa, regardless of how it was prepped/cooked, you would never consider calling it catfish. For about the same price as swai or basa in Cali, I'll buy tilapia. Thanks for the informative post. It's all good my friend.
 
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We get local catfish around here. They are in all the lakes in this county. See my avatar.

OOps, changed my avatar.
 
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Great post, luckily in Nevada the stores are required to say where and what. Most say farmed raised Chile or China neither of which I would eat if starving to death, if it doesn't say wild caught I don't buy it. As far as catfish I harvest them locally. 
Amen!  If it's for sale, I don't buy it.
 
 
Holy catfish!  My biggest fresh water fish would just be bait for that baby!

Good luck and good smoking.
 
A guy in west menphis, ark caught a 115lb cat in the mississippi on a can of
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A guy in west menphis, ark caught a 115lb cat in the mississippi on a can of
spam2.gif
LOL---We don't grow them quite that big around here.

Not sure about down in the Conowingo Dam area, or Lake Erie, but nothing like that around here!!!

Bear
 
We used to put chicken guts out in the sun until they got really ripe!  LOL

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Farm raised catfish has no flavor taste of any kind to it. If it does the processing plants will not buy it...period.  Before they buy a pond of catfish they take samples from the pond and cook the fish in the microwave for a few minutes and if it has any fish taste to it at all its worthless...The reason for this is the resturants want to put their own flavor on the fish when they cook it. Most of my catfish comes from the river behind my shop..
 
If you eat at a restaurant the catfish is likely to be Vietnamese catfish. I talked to a restaurant owner once he said its to good a deal. I told him he just lost a customer. I mean come on how Un American can you get "Catfish". Besides there's no telling what there feeding them over there
 
I have never tried to smoke catfish.

It is a very delicate fish.  I would think of others to smoke.  A more substantial texture with more oil.  Like salmon or trout?

Then again in sausage?  But the catfish is also very mild in flavor?

I think I would go in another direction.  Others might disagree?

Good luck and good smoking.
 
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